Hungering for Hogwarts
by Leprechaun's Fairy
Summary: Hermione was studying at the library at Hogwarts when suddenly she ended up in Panem just months before the Seventy Fourth Hunger Games. She has to use her cool wit, logic, and wandless magic to fight for life and a way to get back home. (HP timeline forwarded a bit so that Sixth Year takes place in 2010).
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: So I randomly came up with the idea of a Harry Potter/Hunger Games crossover a few months back and it just became this huge thing that took me quite some time to put together. Not only am I writing a fanfiction but I also started a Twitter account where I linked it with this story, pretending like I am Hermione stuck in Panem. So if you want to know what's going on in this story before I post it you can check out that account PanemHermione. Links to that account and a blog about it can be found on my author profile!**

* * *

Hermione threw down her quill and sighed. Now that both Harry and Ron were on the Quidditch team she was spending even more of her time alone in the library. She was almost starting to miss the boys' constant interruptions while she studied.

She glared at her parchment, feeling like her unfinished Potions essay was staring right back at her telling her that no matter how hard she tried Harry would still end up with a higher score. She had half a mind to sneak into the boys' dorm and steal the so-called Half-Blood Prince's book from Harry but she didn't want to start another fight. It was lonely enough when her friends were just busy, how much lonelier would it be if they stopped talking to her all together?

Her mind raced and she knew she wouldn't be able to concentrate until she got it to slow down so she lay her head down for just a second.

Hermione woke up with a start and her hands fisted in the grass.

_Wait, grass? What the- _she thought as she jumped up, her hand reaching out to pull her wand out of her hair bun. She turned in circles until finally deciding she had no clue where she was and that what she really needed was a spell that would tell her where she was. Or at least the date and time which would give her an idea of what was going on.

Then she remembered her smart phone and she rushed to pull it out of her pocket. "Damn it. How did this happen?" she whispered when it lit up and the date it showed was so far into the future she wouldn't survive to see it even if she lived to be a decade older than Dumbledore. "This has to be a joke, right?" she spun around, looking for a sign of a visiting Weasley twin.

Another stream of curses emerged as she tried to make a call and then send a text in quick succession. Nothing worked until she opened the Twitter account she had downloaded on a whim a few weeks ago and hardly ever used. "Seriously? How in the world will this help me?" she muttered. That's when she heard a noise behind her and she spun around so fast she fell.

She came to as a loud voice shouted out and she scrambled to her feet for the second time that day, her wand clutched tightly in her hand. But then her arm drooped a bit at the sight of the three figures in white plastic suits and one of them took advantage of her hesitancy and lunged for the wand. She didn't even try to stop them, knowing that she wouldn't be casting any spells until she knew where she was and had an idea of how to get back anyways.

"Where am I?" she asked as they searched her pockets. They didn't bother to take the Galleon she'd enchanted for the DA or the smart phone that had landed on the ground near her feet when she'd fallen.

One of the men stepped right up to her and she thought he was looking straight at her but she wasn't sure since the helmet covered his eyes. "State your name and district," he commanded.

_Guards, they must be guards of some sort. Am I trespassing? If so, where?_

Hermione quickly calculated the risks. She was in an unfamiliar place and the only people she could see (at least she assumed they were human under the space-like armor) hadn't bothered to answer her question. She had two options: stick around and play by their rules and try to figure out where she was and why before she made a move or try and use wandless magic right away and risk messing her situation up even further.

Knowledge won out.

She replayed her words and his voice. _American. Definitely American_ she decided. And she quickly decided to adopt the accent as well, hoping it would help to sound like a native. Merlin only knew what had happened to England if she really was in the future.

"My phone tells me my name is Hermione Granger but I hit my head and I'm just not sure about anything."

Two of the suited figures stepped off to the side while one stayed to guard her. Instead of attempting any conversation she strained to hear what the others were saying.

"- do about her?"

"-must be-three-the phone."

"What are we going to do with her?"

"-her to work-Snow about it after."

They both turned as though they could feel Hermione's eyes on their backs. The closest one to her quickly stepped forward, blocking her view of the others.

"How old are you?" the figure in front of her, apparently a woman according to the voice, barked out.

"I don't remember," Hermione stuttered, her heart pounding as she tried to figure out why her age was the most important thing at the moment. "I hit my head and I'm just not sure."

One of the other guards stomped up next to them. "Then take your best guess. Are you eighteen or younger?"

_I'm pretty sure being eighteen means you're legally an adult in America so if I'm in trouble they'll be more lenient if I'm underage, right? _"I'm pretty sure I'm not eighteen."

When they chuckled a chill travelled up her spine. And when one of them reached out to grab her arm she struggled not to fight back. "You need to come with us."


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: Oops...I had this posted for a few days before I remembered I wanted to add the disclaimer that I switched the timelines up a little. So if you didn't see it then just know that Hermione's Sixth Year is now in 2010. That's why it makes sense that she has a smart phone (2010, Muggle born witch who is smart enough to figure out how to get technology to work at Hogwarts and all that). Now on with the show!**

* * *

Hermione sighed as she stared at the clock in the windowless room she'd been deposited in. She'd been there for over an hour and yet no one would tell her what was going on. But they had pricked her finger and smeared her blood on a piece of parchment she'd signed which hadn't exactly settled her nerves.

She was just about to try some wandless magic despite the helmeted guard with a very large gun standing next to the table they had demanded she sit at when the door to the room finally opened.

Two figures walked in, another of the white suited guards and a haggard looking middle aged woman with thick glasses framing her eyes. "Here is your new assistant Mrs. Clearing! You can take her home now," the guard offered. He made it sound like Hermione was a farm animal they'd already bartered over.

Mrs. Clearing glared down her nose for a few seconds as she looked Hermione up and down. Then she finally sighed. "Well get a move on girl. I don't have all day."

The older lady barely gave Hermione time to stand up before she stalked out of the room, forcing Hermione to run after her. "I've been requesting an assistant for weeks and now the Peacekeepers have stuck me with you, a girl who barely remembers her own name. But at least you should be familiar with the devices since they told me you have a phone of your own. Or did you steal it?"

Hermione pulled her phone which the guards or "Peacekeepers" had handed back to her once they'd locked her into the room. She was surprised to see that she had no reception but a very strong wireless connection. With a few hints from Professor Flitwick the year before she'd discovered a combination of spells that would allow her electronic devices to work at Hogwarts using the magical charges in the air. She'd tested it out on her music player and when that had worked she'd asked her parents for a phone over the summer, promising she'd use it to contact them often.

"The phone is definitely mine," she finally muttered as they stepped out the front door of what looked like a courthouse. She hadn't seen it when she'd arrived since the guards had quickly shoved her in the back of a van and carted her off after she'd revealed her age. Then when she'd finally been let out of the van they'd been in an underground garage from which she'd been led to the room they'd held her in until Mrs. Clearing had arrived.

Mrs. Clearing paused to turn and glare at her. "No need to get snippy, I just have to be certain they didn't give me a thief. I'd much rather they find your parents than hoist you off on me. Are you sure your last name is Granger and that you belong to District Three? Granger sounds much more like a District Eleven or Twelve name."

Hermione waited to answer until they were on their way again, the large courtyard quickly replaced by an industrial area that seemed to span for miles in every direction. _How far away is that grassy area I woke up in? _she couldn't help but wonder. "The Peacekeepers seemed to think the phone was proof enough that I belong here."

Mrs. Clearing pursed her lips. "Perhaps. Now I'll expect you to work hard whenever you're not at school."

Hermione's jaw dropped. They expected her to go to school and work? She needed time to figure out where she was, how she got here, and what spells it would take to get back home. "But I can't!"

"Oh yes you can. The only reason I even considered giving you a place to stay is because they promised you'd wouldn't bother me during the day because you'll be at school and then you'd work in the shop every evening and all weekend. Feel free to return to the courthouse and tell them you disagree." Mrs. Clearing didn't even bother to stop moving, clearly assuming that Hermione would do no such thing. It was a good assumption since Hermione had a sinking feeling that any other opportunity would be even worse than the one the Peacekeepers had already offered.

Hermione rushed forward, making sure to stay one step behind the lady, hoping that her supposed deference would put her on Mrs. Clearing's good side. "What kind of shop do you run ma'am?"

"I deal in electronics."

Hermione winced but nodded, suddenly very thankful for her Muggle background. Ron would never be able to handle this. But then Mrs. Clearing stopped and Hermione stared at the dark and dingy building in surprise. "Is this the shop or your home?"

pursed her lips as she stepped to the door. "Both. Shop is downstairs. My rooms and your room are upstairs," she said as she reached for the door handle.

That's when Hermione noticed the door wasn't tight in the frame and that the handle was hanging so loosely there'd be no way the locks were still engaged. "Wait! Was your door locked when you left? If so then you shouldn't touch anything since it looks like someone broke in!"

She was surprised when Mrs. Clearing laughed and pushed forwards, taking a second to flip on the lights. "You must have hit your head pretty hard if you think you've ever encountered locked doors before. Locked doors are a privilege only handed out by President Snow himself. Now get in here so I can explain your duties."

Hermione slowly slunk into the building, the low lintel forcing her to duck to get inside. Once her eyes adjusted to the gloom she gasped at the disorganized chaos in front of her. There were a half dozen long trestle tables with junk piled so high she wouldn't be able to tell if another person stood on the other side of the room.

"These are all the technological devices that have been discarded, donated, or confiscated from the districts in the past few months. We are to dismantle them and separate the pieces. There are barrels for screws, batteries, and everything else," Mrs. Clearing said as she pointed everything out.

"But why is this all going on in the first floor of your house and not in one of the dozens of factories right outside?" Hermione couldn't help but ask.

Mrs. Clearing bit her lip for a few silent seconds before finally deciding to explain. "My husband was a Peacekeeper for twenty years before he was released and we were able to get married. He was very loyal to President Snow and so am I. So Snow trusted my husband while he was still alive and I, and now you, to look for certain modifications in these devices. If we find anything we are to check the device number against the acquisitions log and tell the Peacekeepers immediately."

Hermione gulped as she realized exactly what she had been hired out to do. If she found evidence of spying, what Mrs. Clearing called "modifications", she'd have to report it to the heavily armed and temperamental Peacekeepers. She could only imagine what the guilty party's punishments would be. "And why would they trust me to help you do that?"

Mrs. Clearing flipped off the first floor light and guided Hermione to a door which hid the narrow and steep stairs to the second floor. She didn't speak until they both stood in the middle of the cramped apartment. "I'm going to be frank with you Hermione. No one knows who you are, not even you. That makes you a liability. It's not that they trust you to do the job. They just know that no one will care if you mess up and have to be silenced. You're expendable to everyone, even me."


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: I'm still updating the associated Twitter account, PanemHermione, where you can learn more about this story before I update chapters here! Also, in case you didn't already realize it, I do not own Harry Potter and its characters or those from Hunger Games. (And if you correctly guess why I used the number 8 to separate sections I'll give you a shout out before the next chapter!)**

* * *

Hermione paced the floor of the room she had been given even though she couldn't walk more than five feet before she had to turn around. With its dimension and location right off the kitchen she had a feeling the room had been a walk in pantry at a time when food was plenty. There was just enough space for a bone thin mattress and a shadeless lamp connected to the wall with a cord nearly stripped of its protective covering. Hermione didn't think it was safe to use but with no wand, no windows and no ceiling light she had very few options.

After Mrs. Clearing had boldly announced she didn't care one whit for Hermione's life she had finished giving her the tour of the house. It hadn't lasted long since the second floor was even smaller than the first. The majority of the space was taken up by the kitchen with its wood burning stove, mostly empty cabinets and small rickety table with two even more spindly chairs. Down a very short hall were the doors to Mrs. Clearing's room and the bathroom.

Hermione had also been given a verbal list of her duties which included: waking before dawn and preparing breakfast, going to school all day and then work in the shop until midnight with her only break being a few minutes to cook and eat dinner.

When she'd complained about there being no time for homework, when she really just wanted time to figure out a spell to send herself home, Mrs. Clearing had laughed. "The President's orders are that anyone under eighteen has to attend school but no one cares how well you do," she had said before insisting Hermione cook dinner and then look over the diagrams of the electronic devices she'd start dissecting the next day.

But the diagrams lay discarded on the bed while Hermione paced. What she needed was a way to not only go back in time a few hundred years but also switch continents if what she'd assumed about her location was true. A tall feat for a wandless witch even if she was often told she was one of the brightest minds of her generation.

She was still half asleep when Mrs. Clearing pounded on her door early the next morning. "Get out here and make my breakfast girl! Tomorrow I expect you to be up and have it ready before I'm out of bed myself!"

Hermione slid out from under the scratchy blanket she'd been given and reached t for her jeans and shoes from the day before. She'd slept in her panties and t-shirt, afraid of how the blankets would irritate her more sensitive areas if she slept in less. Mrs. Clearing had not offered to let her borrow any clothes and she had known asking would be pointless.

Once she had the fire started and the frying pan heated she felt it was safe to ask a question of Mrs. Clearing who was sitting at the table. "If I'm going to school doesn't that mean I'll need supplies?" she asked as she added eggs to the frying pan.

"Peacekeepers dropped a bag off for you. I found it outside this morning. It should have school supplies and clothing in it," Mrs. Clearing said as she flipped through a stack of documents. "They also delivered a new shipment of devices confiscated from District Seven so be prepared to work all night."

Hermione glanced around the room as she moved the frying pan off the burner and stepped over to pull plates out of the cabinet. She couldn't help but notice that there were only enough plates, bowls, cups and silverware for two people and none of it matched.

"So where is this bag of stuff they brought for me?" she asked as she carried the plates of fried eggs and sausage to the table.

Mrs. Clearing glared down at her eggs and then back up at Hermione. "First of all I don't like fried eggs. Second of all do you really think I have nothing better to do than run around doing your work? You can pick up your bag on the way out of the house."

Hermione bit her lip so she didn't say something she'd get in trouble for. The last thing she wanted to do was start at a new school while wearing her unwashed clothes and carrying around a sack large enough to hold clothes and school supplies. It sounded like a recipe for instant teasing. Not that she planned on making friends, she just didn't want to deal with anyone's judgmental crap when she had better things to focus on.

By the time she had the dishes done Mrs. Clearing was surreptitiously glancing at her watch. "You better get a move on or you'll be late. The bus leaves in five minutes."

Hermione didn't bother responding as she turned to leave, knowing that Mrs. Clearing wasn't really concerned about her education. She knew her benefactress or whatever she wanted to be called was only worried about how many hours Hermione could work for her which would be less if she were late and landed in detention.

Knowing that she had to walk three blocks to the bus stop to catch a bus she had been told only actually made it to said stop once or twice a week, she picked up the surprisingly small duffle bag the Peacekeepers had left for her before rushing away.

Hermione sighed in relief when she was finally allowed to leave the dingy school building at the end of the day. The moment she'd stepped near the school (the bus having not arrived at the stop, forcing her to jog the mile and a half to the school) a Peacekeeper had directed her to the office. And when she'd told them her memories hadn't returned they'd forced her to watch a series of films about Panem, the Dark Days of the rebellion, and the fast approaching Hunger Games. But the weirdest part was that everything seemed almost familiar, like she really did have hidden memories of the films they showed her.

That was why, once she'd returned to Mrs. Clearing's and started working on the first floor, she couldn't help but replay the facts and images she'd read and seen throughout the day. She wasn't certain which piece of news had been more disconcerting.

1. Apparently the date on her phone was correct which meant she had traveled hundreds of years into the future.

2. The world as she knew it had changed and the country she was in, Panem, was what was left of the United States, Mexico, and Canada.

3. According to her textbooks there had been no foreign communications for years so she had no way of knowing if England even still existed.

4. She was living in a society where children, many younger than her, were forced to fight in a battle to the death for entertainment purposes once a year.

5. When she had told the Peacekeepers her age she'd placed herself in a very dangerous position.

88888

Weeks passed by and Hermione became more and more nervous. The talk of the town was all about the start of the 74th Hunger Games in less than a week and she'd learned more than she wanted to know about the annual ritual. Once a year delegates from the Capitol would arrive in each of the twelve districts for the Reaping which was a ceremonial choosing of the boy and girl from each district who would be sent to the Hunger Games to fight in a battle that would leave only one child alive.

And to add insult to the likely death the kids (called Tributes) were to be groomed and paraded around the Capitol for a week before the event. Hermione understood that a rebellion had led to the start of the Hunger Games in the first place, and the decimation of District Thirteen, but what she didn't understand was why no one had tried another rebellion in the past seventy-four years. Yes war was bad but so was handing out hundreds of death sentences to children who hadn't even been alive when the punishment was handed out.

What Hermione really needed was time. Time to figure out how she'd been sent to the future. Time to figure out how to send herself back. But she was never alone except for the five or so hours she was given to sleep each night. And in a world that was suspicious of the even the smallest things (she'd seen a child abducted by the Peacekeepers because they thought her conversations with an imaginary friend were actually code phrases she had been whispering into a concealed illegal communication device) she had a feeling something very bad would happen if she were caught doing something remotely magical.

What she did have time for was jotting down a few notes during the classes she wasn't bothering to pay attention to. But she made sure to keep them vague enough that said notes wouldn't look like the writings of a spy. (Did anyone even still use the Latin that was often used in spellwork? Not that she'd heard or read though they did like their Roman inspired names).

She had a feeling she might be able to get home if she could Apparate while reciting a spell though it would be much easier if she could somehow find a Time Turner. She was also considering whether or not she could make her own by combining wandless magic with some pieces of technology from the first floor of Mrs. Clearing's house but she would have to be very careful if she decided to steal anything. It would probably be more dangerous than when she stole potions ingredients from Snape's stores in Second Year and that was saying something.


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note/Disclaimer: Thank you to my reviewers, I'm glad some of you are liking this! It was kind of fun for me since, up until this point, I've only exclusively written Harry Potter fanfiction so it's fun to dip my toes into another of my beloved fandoms! Now on with the story and the new characters and those you already love.**

* * *

"Wake up girl! My breakfast needs made and you need to get signed in at the square!"

Hermione's eyes popped open and she nearly threw up when she realized what was happening. She was so close to perfecting the spell that would turn her smart phone's clock system into a faux Time Turner, and she had an incantation that should help with the distance but it would have to wait. Now she had to report to the town square for the Reaping ceremony just as soon as she plopped some food onto a plate for her employer. For some reason she didn't feel like her stomach could handle any breakfast of its own.

"Just scrambled eggs this morning since you need to get a move on and didn't think to wake up earlier," Mrs. Clearing demanded the second Hermione appeared in the kitchen wearing the only decent dress the Peacekeepers had provided her with. "I know you've gotten used to the schedule I've set for you but after today that will change. Whenever we have to watch Capitol broadcasts I'll expect you to make up your work hours within that week. We need to respect President Snow and the Capitol but I can't have our work lagging. I have a reputation to uphold."

Hermione nodded and was suddenly grateful that her wand had been confiscated. Unforgiveable Curses were impossible without a wand to direct the magic and for the first time in her life she had the urge to cast one. The very idea that Mrs. Clearing could be so casual about two dozen children being sent to their deaths made her sick.

She quickly scrambled a few eggs, added just a pinch of their meager supply of spices, and then turned to serve her employer. "I'm going to use the restroom and then I better get to the square. I'll clean up as soon as we get back from the Reaping," she announced.

Mrs. Clearing didn't even acknowledge that Hermione had spoken.

Nearly a half hour later Hermione, who had already signed in and had her finger pricked for identification, was standing in a roped off section with others her age. The children in District Three had to be up and ready so early because there were so many of them that there had to be a preliminary drawing before the real ceremony began so the actual Reaping would look better on TV.

Hermione had already went through the process and been delegated to a certain group but hadn't been told if hers was the lucky one which had already been eliminated or not. Her great view of the podium the Capitol delegate would stand on made her think she was likely still in the running but she tried not to think about it.

She was mentally working through her return spell for the hundredth time when a brightly dressed male with electric green hair appeared on the podium flanked by a half dozen Peacekeepers. He tapped his microphone just as the projector screens lit up, first showing a promotional video about the rebellion and the Games before reflecting the nervous faces in her District. She knew everyone else in Panem was watching as well.

"Good morning my lovely District Three citizens!" the green haired man joyfully cried. "My name is Felix Foxway and I will be the escort for your lucky tributes! As is customary I will begin with your female Tribute and may the odds be ever in your favor!"

The crowd was dead quiet as Felix took a few steps left towards a rotating glass sphere with hundreds of paper slips tumbling inside. Then, with a flourish of his hands, he stopped the rotation and opened the hatch to remove one of the paper slips. "The female Tribute from District Three is…Hermione Granger!"

Hermione froze as her fight or flight impulses warred with one another. She knew wandless magic would keep her safe for a short while but even magic wouldn't protect her from a dozen Peacekeepers for long. And running would be silly since she had nowhere to go and her time travel incantation hadn't been tested enough for her to feel comfortable using it.

But then her chance to even try anything, at least without hurting anyone, was taken away when several Peacekeepers approached her with their hands poised to pull out their batons. "The podium Granger. Now!"

Hermione gulped but strode forward. She was prepared to fight in a war in her own world so no matter the circumstances she should be damn well be strong and smart enough to stay alive until she could perfect the spell to get her home.

She was so busy running different scenarios through her head that she didn't even hear the name of her fellow District Three Tribute. Her focus didn't return to what was going on in Panem until her Peacekeeper guards herded her into a courthouse room while Felix said his goodbyes to the crowd.

The Peacekeepers stood guard at the door while she paced the room, wishing she could pull out her phone and practice her spell but the Peacekeepers weren't even bothering to keep their voices low while they talked about her.

"I don't know why they didn't put her right on the train. No one will be coming to say goodbye."

"It's all a formality but it really does kill two birds with one stone doesn't it?"

"What do you mean?"

"With her supposed memory problems the best case scenario was that she wasn't wanted at home and she's choosing not to go back and they're choosing not to take her. If a family doesn't want a healthy strong bodied girl then there must be something wrong with her."

"And worst case?"

"She's a rebel spy. So either way sending her off is a good thing for District Three."

Hermione froze as she fingered her phone, paying special attention to making sure her stopwatch app was still there (she wasn't certain she'd be able to download it again if it disappeared). When her name had been called she'd wondered if it had been a setup planned from the first day she landed in Panem. And according to the Peacekeepers it had been. She shook her head and stayed focused on her task until Felix swept into the room and clapped his hands.

"Are all your emotional goodbyes done? Are you ready to start this journey to the beautiful Capitol?"

Hermione gaped at his insensitivity but couldn't contain a snort of laughter when she looked at him up close. With his sequined top and leathery pants he reminded her of a clueless wizard trying to dress like a Muggle. "You may as well take me on the train ride of death," she finally managed to say. She wasn't about to make friends with a man who clearly enjoyed sending children off to their deaths, or at least the pageantry of it all.

But to her surprise Felix just rolled his eyes. "That's the spirit! Now let's find your fellow Tribute, Driver, and then we can meet your Mentors!"

Felix didn't offer her a hand or anything, he just spun on his heels (and yes he was wearing heels, pretty tall ones) and stalked out of the room. Hermione had no choice but to follow him or be prodded by the Peacekeepers.

Driver, which was apparently the name of the male Tribute, met them in the hall. His eyes and nose were red and Hermione wondered if he'd even have the strength to compete in the deadly game. She was just thankful that he didn't try to start a conversation with her.

Then suddenly she was on the train and Felix was introducing them to Wiress and Beetee, their new Mentors. Within minutes of speaking with them Hermione was reminded of Luna and her nonsensical babbling only instead of animals they spoke of technology and scientific theories. Even with her knowledge of a variety of Muggle devices she was lost within minutes and spent most of the conversation (Beetee and Wiress seemed more than happy to just converse amongst themselves) confused.

The only thing she bothered to pay attention to was the recap of who was chosen from the other districts, knowing that if she couldn't get her time travel device to work in the ensuing week then she'd have to know who to avoid in the arena. She refused to speak to anyone until hours later when she was led off the train and into a room with a metal bed that looked more suited to examining corpses than anything else.

"Wait here Ms. Granger," Felix instructed. After several long hours of silence on Hermione's part the day before he had stopped being so bubbly when he addressed her. "Maura, your stylist, will be here in just a minute."

Hermione crossed her arms over her chest and paced around the room, not wanting to sit or lay on the metal cot because it looked cold and because she knew that was what they wanted her to do. To lie down and just accept what was happening to her.

But everything changed when Maura walked in.

Hermione gaped as her stylist introduced herself. It wasn't that her skin was dyed a fluorescent shade or because her hair was shaped like a Ferris wheel like one of the Capitol citizens she had seen as she was ushered in. It was that Maura not only looked like a human but she had a striking resemblance to the pictures Hermione had seen of Lily Potter.

Maura's hair was a brilliant red just a shade brighter than natural and her eyes were the same shade of green that Harry's were. And when she turned her head the lights glinted of a nose stud in a shape so astonishing that she couldn't help but utter the first words she had in hours. "Is that nose ring shaped like a lightning bolt?"

The stylist paused on her way into the room and instinctively reached up to touch her nose. "Yes it is. My father and I used to sit out on our porch and watch the skies whenever it stormed. It's kind of my way to remember him."

Hermione smiled a real smile, the first since she'd arrived in Panem. "I like it," she admitted.

Maura smiled back. "Thanks! Now we're just going to get you cleaned up and then I can show you my ideas for the parade tonight."

Hermione nodded but less than an hour later, after the waxing of her leg and underarm hair, the tweezing of her eyebrows and the attempts to tame the hair on her head she really wished she hadn't. It seemed like her skin and hair follicles were screaming in protest even after they let her up off the tray.


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note: Hey, I have a few followers on my PanemHermione count! Thanks for being interested enough to do that! Here's the next installment ;)**

* * *

She carefully stepped into the chariot with Maura's help. Even though her feet wouldn't really be seen on the televised feed they were encased in silver high heels much higher than anything she'd ever worn before. But they matched her black shimmery dress, covered in multihued sparkles in the shapes of cogs and gears so that's why she had been coerced into wearing them.

Felix and Maura stepped back to look at their Tributes once Hermione's male counterpart had joined her. Maura immediately clapped her hands in delight. "You two look fantastic! Technologically superior to everyone else out there, right Felix?"

Felix nodded but didn't really look like he was listening to Maura's enthusiastic praise. "Now when you go out there I don't want you to be waving your hands around trying to make friends Hermione. I don't think that's in your nature but you can if you'd like Radar. My goal tonight is to pass Hermione off as an aloof independent woman while you sir can be the low key Tribute who is eager to please. I want to play off your differences not present you as a team."

Hermione frowned, not sure if she should be offended that Felix had called her aloof but she had to admit that she'd never really been good around people even when she'd been at Hogwarts in her own time. It wasn't that she didn't like people, she did (at least sometimes). It was just that she always ended up saying the wrong thing and getting on someone's nerves until she knew them well enough to avoid their triggers. And getting to know people wasn't really on the top of her to do list at the moment.

Then their chariot was off and there was no more time to think about Felix's instructions because she was too busy trying to stand up straight. It wasn't that the gait of the horse was unsteady, it was actually very smooth, it was that she didn't like riding on or in anything that didn't have a way to keep her safely inside. It was why she didn't like to fly nor did she like it the one time her cousin had given her a ride on the back of his motorcycle.

So she clenched her hands on the chariot railing and instead of looking out at the crowds she watched her opponents. The heavily made up pair from District One were playing the crowed by smiling and blowing kisses. The Tributes from Two were glaring and the boy went so far as to strike poses that showed off his considerable muscles.

But what upset her the most was how young some of the Tributes were, especially the girl from Eleven. Then no one else really caught her attention until the chariots were parked in a semi-circle and District Twelve took their place with their fiery costumes and their interlocked hands. They might just be ones to watch out for even though she'd read that Twelve was statistically low on Hunger Games winners.

She zoned out while President Snow made his address and then the chariot horses instinctively looped back around to the entry point when someone struck a gong after the National Anthem. Once they were stopped she practically fell out of the chariot, not bothering to wait on Maura and Felix who were rushing to her aid.

Felix frowned at her but just shook his head and sighed when she glared back. "Well you're pulling off the haughty independent look quite well so I guess we can't complain. Now let's get up to our room where Beetee and Wiress should have laid some ground work for your training and interviews."

Hermione twiddled her thumbs as she waited for her name to be called for her evaluation and subsequent training score that would be released that evening. It had been a long couple of days with hours of physical work during the day, talks of strategy at night and then the extra work Hermione had assigned herself.

After laying out plans with the hard to follow Wiress she'd spend a handful more hours in the always open Training Center followed by practicing her time travel incantations in her bedroom. She was hoping to send herself home before she was even sent into the area but wanted to be prepared just in case.

"Hermione Granger, District Three," the programmed voice called out. Even though she was the sixth name to be called she felt like she had waited for hours and she was very thankful she wasn't a Tribute from Eleven or Twelve who were sitting in opposite corners and really would have to wait for hours.

She stalked into the room and stared up at the judges, not bothering to announce herself in any way.

"You may begin your demonstration Miss. Granger," the head Gamemaker, who'd been introduced as Seneca Crane days earlier, finally announced.

Hermione quickly and efficiently showed them all the skills she had worked up to an adequate level of success. She used the bow and hit between the second and first ring of the target with a half dozen arrows. She threw a couple of knives and got within an inch of the bulls eye with both. (Both acts had been surprisingly easy to learn after she'd looked up theories and saw that it was all about angles and trajectory). She started a small fire using nothing more than a couple of sticks and some tinder she made out of the loose threads in her shirt. Then she spent the last few minutes making snares. She had just tied her last knot on the third variation when she heard one of the Gamemakers clear their throat so she spun around to look up at them.

"Very well Ms. Granger. Your time is up. You may exit to your left where you will find an elevator you can take to your floor. Do not discuss your evaluation with anyone but your Mentor, your escort, and your fellow Tribute. You are dismissed," Seneca Crane said in a dull inflectionless tone which made it sound like he'd memorized the dismissal.

Hermione merely nodded her head and then spun on her heel without thanking them. She was sure Radar had groveled enough for the both of them. Besides, they'd all decided she was to be the intellectually superior Tribute of the bunch with her aloofness and know-it-all attitude. It might not make her any friends or even get her a lot of sponsors but Felix thought some of them would appreciate her cool logic and seeming lack of emotion.

When she reached their third floor rooms she saw Radar and the rest of their group already gathered on the couches and chairs in front of the living room's large television even though the training scores wouldn't be released for hours. "I'll be in my room until the show is actually on," she announced as she grabbed an apple from the bowl on the counter and then raced down the hall.

The second she had slammed her door, locked it and blocked it with a chair (and even with those measures she was still certain someone could find their way in if they were on good terms with the Capitol). Then she changed into one of her more comfortable outfits, grabbed her smart phone and the apple and then shut herself into the very spacious bathroom.

The first thing she did was a multiplier spell to ensure that she had plenty of apples to work with along with the others she'd already experimented with. Unfortunately each of the copies were disgusting and harmful to the body when too much was ingested (one of the reasons why magic couldn't be used to end world hunger) so she had to take bites, spit them out and then Vanish the excess.

By the time Felix and Maura called her out to hear the training scores she was fairly certain she had the series of spells and actions down pat but she couldn't help but mentally run through it as she sat on the couch between Maura and Radar.

She had long ago charmed her technology into working with magic so that was no problem (and it explained how she'd so easily cast the charm that powered her phone with both sunlight and moonlight). So she'd combined the countdown app on her phone with a series of nonverbal spells and a twirl that mimicked Apparation. When she'd send herself back in time she'd spin on her heel as the phone counted down, each second representing a day or more, as she recited the spells.

But to test it on the apple she'd taken a bite, made note of the time she'd bitten it and then she'd placed her apple on the phone and spun that while the phone counted down. Since the phone was the anchor, kind of like the Time Turner, it didn't change but after some practice the apple did.

During her last spell she had taken her oldest apple, bitten three days before, and spun it so far back in time that when it stopped it was not only unbitten but it wasn't even ripe yet. She'd changed her phrasing in several of her incantations so that each second on the countdown could count as a minute or even an hour backwards. She could only hope to rephrase it again when the time came so that each second equaled a week or more or else she'd have to find a way to use the Time Travel spell and a Shield Charm, (without a wand mind you) at the same time. No small feat for a witch of any caliber.

She was so excited by her magical successes that she barely even heard the announcement that she'd gotten an eight out of twelve as her Training Score.


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Note: Thanks to anyone who has bothered to read this or check out the associated Twitter account! It's been fun and we're on the down slope of the story with two chapters left after this!**

* * *

Hermione waited in line for her interview with Caesar Flickerman. She had hoped to have already sent herself home but she'd had a mishap with practicing the spell earlier in the afternoon. Then Maura had swept her away for hair and makeup again, much like what had happened before the chariot ride. Only now she was clothed in a silvery dress.

So instead of being reunited with Harry and Ron liked she'd hoped to be she was waiting to be interviewed by a smiley blue haired guy for a show that would be broadcast to the entirety of a country that, to her, shouldn't even exist. If she weren't already used to unexplainable life threatening events then she probably would've had a mental breakdown by now.

Then the District Two male Tribute, Cato, was dismissed by Caesar and Hermione knew she was up next. She was very glad she'd always been good at public speaking and speaking her mind.

"Now we're going to speak with the beautiful and mysterious Hermione Granger from District Three!" Caesar announced as he waved Hermione onto the stage and then offered her a seat.

"I have come to learn that you have a bit of a memory problem. Is this true?"

Hermione snorted. "Yes it is. I woke up in the District Three courtyard just a few months ago and I don't remember anything from before that except my name which I learned from a phone I held in my hands. Needless to say it's been a rough couple of months. I mean, I didn't even know what the Hunger Games were the first time I heard someone mention it!"

She heard a few members of the audience chuckle or gasp but most were just whispering. She could only assume they were confused about her amnesia and possibly, hopefully, wondering at the ethics of a Tribute who hadn't even known the Hunger Games existed just weeks before she was reaped.

Caesar waved his hand and the chatter died down a bit. "Do you think your memory issue will affect your ability to play the Games?"

"I actually think it means I have a better chance of winning because I don't have fifteen years or more of junk cluttering my mind. The things I remember and am focused on are the recent things like the hours I've spent learning skills I've learned in the Training Center and reading up on how to survive hundreds of scenarios."

Caesar turned a wide grin to the audience. "And we've all seen live feeds of the extra studying you've been doing so we know you are quite prepared. It will be very interesting to see if your book smarts can be translated to the arena."

"I can only hope so Caesar since my life does depend on it." Hermione offered the crowed her best "I'm smiling but what I really want to do is tell you to bugger off" kind of smile.

His smile faltered for just a second before it returned, his teeth so bright that the cameras had to be recording a glare. As he said goodbye and introduced the next Tribute Hermione couldn't help but wonder how Caesar truly felt about the rather morbid situation he was in, interviewing two dozen kids when all but one would be dead in a week or two. She honestly hoped he had no heart and no conscience or else he had to be a very tormented soul.

The only things that broke through her musings of her own plight were the interviews with the little girl Rue and the dynamics between Katniss and Peeta from District Twelve. _Well now is about the worst time to announce a crush ever. He's got worse luck than me_ Hermione thought as they went back to their rooms.

She stayed up late after the interviews, trying her spell over and over again. Just the day before everything had been running so smoothly but now the spinning and the incantations were only working a third of the time. Not nearly well enough for her to risk using it on herself.

And she figured with her survival skills and wandless magic she'd be able to stay alive long enough to practice the time travel incantation a few more times especially since everything in the arena would be filmed and possibly televised. She had a feeling the Gamemakers wouldn't purposefully gun for her if they kept picking up on her doing strange unexplainable things that would be sure to get the attention of Panem's citizens.

Finally, just hours before she knew she was going to be woken up, she officially gave up on the idea that she could send herself home before entering the arena so with a heavy heart she set her stuff off to the side and fell into a restless sleep.

"Rise and shine or frown or whatever it is you plan on doing!" Felix called out as he slammed Hermione's door open.

Hermione rolled over and rubbed the grit out of her eyes as Maura and Wiress crept into her room. "I knew that lock never really worked," she grumbled.

Wiress went straight to where Hermione's phone was laying on the stand and she picked it up and started mumbling about its capabilities while Maura spoke over her. "We're going to get on a hovercraft in just a few minutes and it will take us to a preparation room where I'll help you dress. I've seen how attached you are to your phone and though I have no idea how you'll keep it charged I registered it as your Tribute Token so you can take it into the arena with you."

Hermione's smile was forced. Maura knew it but probably figured it was just nerves and the understanding that Hermione could be just hours away from a violent death. Wiress, on the other hand, didn't even seem to realize anything odd had happened. "Thank you Maura. I didn't know my token had to be registered," Hermione admitted as she pushed herself out of bed and stumbled to her closet.

She didn't yet have the Tribute uniform but knew she needed to change out of the girly little nightshirt the Capitol had provided her with to sleep in. She was not about to get on a hovercraft with the other Tributes while wearing something that was the very opposite of intimidating.

"I suspected as much," Maura said as she compulsively fluffed Hermione's pillows. The pillows that probably wouldn't be used until the next round of Tributes were brought to train the following the year. "I really have no idea why you'd keep that ancient device around but I never see you without it in your hand or your pocket."

Hermione was glad Maura was turned the other way. The stylist was the closest thing she had to a friend in Panem and the witch didn't want to lie to her but she couldn't exactly tell her the truth either. "I know it's a weird token to have but it's the only thing I have from before I lost my memory," she finally said, trying to stick as much to the truth as she could without saying 'I'm a witch from the past.' "I mean this phone and its pictures are the only reasons I even know my name!"

Maura nodded in understanding. She'd picked up the device and handed it to Hermione countless times and had watched her do the same thing every time. Hermione would key the phone on, launching a screen image with a banner that displayed her name along with the time and the date. Then she'd open up a picture of her standing in between two boys, one with black hair and glasses and the other with red hair and freckles.

When Maura had first seen the picture she'd questioned Hermione about it but the younger girl had been very evasive. And when Maura had learned of her amnesia she'd suggested a way to help recover her memories (by televising the picture in hopes that one or both of the boys would step forward and be able to jog her memories) but Hermione hadn't liked the idea at all.

"President Snow would never let me speak with them even if they could be found. At least not until I won so it would all be pointless," Hermione had said. Maura hadn't been able to tell if Hermione had said that because she thought she'd win, a situation where her friends would and could come forward if they wanted or if Hermione thought she was days away from death and didn't want to get her hopes up. Either scenario was very plausible.

"Well now that you know they won't take your last link to the past you can get on that hovercraft with a smile!" Felix yelled into the room. "Now get out here before they get mad and end up sending me into the arena too."

Hermione slipped her phone into her pocket and spun on her heels, angrier than she'd been in years. When she stopped in front of Felix, who was standing just outside her door with Radar, his stylist, and Beetee, she glared up at him with visions of Unforgiveable curses floating through her head. "You really need to stop acting like such a self-entitled little git or someday someone is going to punch you in your smug little face," she said before she swept over to the elevator that would take them to the room and the waiting hovercraft.

She paced around the tiny room, trying to avoid looking at the tube that would take her up into the arena. She couldn't help but rub her arm where they'd inserted her tracker. For being a somewhat advanced nation (some of their technology was downright magical) they were awfully barbaric.

Then Maura was in the room with her, reaching out and stopping Hermione in her tracks. "Calm down girl or you'll be too worn out to even make it through your first day."

Hermione couldn't force herself to smile but she was relieved to see the girl, the closest thing she had to a friend in Panem. "I guess I should be getting dressed, shouldn't I?"

Maura nodded and pulled the uniform off the hook as Hermione started removing pieces of her clothing. After years of sharing a dorm room at Hogwarts and the hours being dressed and groomed for the Capitol she wasn't really bothered by the idea of stripping down in front of Maura. And she didn't really even care if the moment was being televised to the rest of Panem since she didn't really know anyone in the country anyways.

"You haven't planned some elaborate farewell speech, have you Maura?" Hermione teased as she pulled on the pants her stylist had just handed her. "Because I suggest you keep it simple or else I might cry and I can't look intimidating while I'm crying."

They both turned to look at the tube that would swoop Hermione up to the arena and the bloodbath that was sure to begin once the Games officially started. "Or course I won't cry and say goodbye," Maura said as she sniffled. "That's because this isn't going to be the last time I see you."

"You're right about that since you'll be forced to watch me fight for my life on the big screen." Hermione sat down and gestured to her hair and Maura quickly stepped forward to pull it into a bun with the elastics approved by President Snow and the Gamemakers. "I am going to say goodbye to you though. Not that I plan on dying. I just don't plan on returning. At least not here," she finally whispered quietly enough that she wasn't sure Maura would even hear her.

"Just be careful in there," Maura said as she straightened Hermione's collar and then helped her into the tube just like the computer generated voice had told her to.

Hermione had just enough time to take a deep breath and release it, a calming technique she'd learned to use before big tests, before a mechanism brought her tube up to the arena. After a sixty second countdown the same computerized voice announced the official beginning of the seventy-fourth Hunger Games.


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's Note: I apologize to any of you who are actually following the PanemHermione because I haven't updated that for awhile... and this chapter will actually go past where the account is at right now. But it was either update the Twitter account or wait until next week to post this chapter and I figured y'all would want the chapter even more. Enjoy!**

* * *

Even before the countdown was completed Hermione was using a bit of wandless magic to help herself. She found the nearest backpack, a measly little thing that surely carried something life saving but not game changing, and she gently prodded it directly into the path she planned to take into the woods. She wasn't about to battle her way into the Cornucopia even though a few Shield Charms would help her get whatever weapons she could want. No, what she needed was a few minutes with her hybrid cell phone Time Turner and a handful of items to test it on.

So the second she could safely throw herself off her spot she did, rushing for the woods and picking up the brown bag (so much better than the fluorescent colored bags that she could see) on the way. And everyone else was so distracted by either their need to survive or to take out their competition as quickly as possible that she was in the tree line before anyone could even notice her escape.

She was out of breath by the time she reached a little clearing but that didn't stop her from finding a little nest of tangled bushes next to a small rise in the land. It was just deep enough that she could burrow into the greenery with her back protected. Then she rifled through her backpack because that's what the Gamemakers would expect her to do and she didn't want to draw too much attention to herself, not yet.

Her pack contained a handful of useful and some very surprising things: a canteen which would be wonderful if she could find water from a safer location than the lake near the Cornucopia. A few packets of dried fruits, nuts, and meat. A handful of matches, that would most likely get her killed if she used them to build a fire before finding a more adequate and defensible shelter.

She quickly decided not to worry about her meager supplies, at least not while she had a semi-decent hiding spot and a Shield Charm at the ready. She could of course defend herself with magic no matter her surroundings but she wanted a bit of cover so it would be more believable when the other Tributes ignored her presence.

But before the moved on she took a deep breath and picked up a flower, slowly picking off the petals (waiting a few minutes between each) until there was only one left. Then she sat the stem and stamen onto her phone and began to recite the incantation she'd already practiced several dozen times. When she opened her eyes the flower had turned to dust even though she had meant to just send it back far enough for it to be fully formed again. Something still wasn't right with her spell.

* * *

Eight days later Hermione was still alive thanks to the camping skills she'd learned from her parents and her use of wandless magic. Ten Tributes were dead and she hadn't seen anyone in person since the first day. She had a feeling that she was probably frustrating the Gamemakers but they had yet to do anything to personally target her or send her closer to her enemies. She had to wonder if they were curious as to what she was doing with her cell phone and that was way they had yet to go after her.

She was using berries she'd picked up off the forest floor as her recent time traveling experiments and it had worked successfully three times in a row when she heard the explosion. She looked up at the sky and had to puzzle through what she was seeing. There were three columns of smoke in the sky, two softer gray ones in the forest and a thick black one somewhere around where the games had started.

Hermione grinned as she realized what must have happened. A pair of Tributes (maybe even more) must be working together to take out what was left of the dangerous Career pack, the District One, Two, and Four Tributes who trained for years and relished the chance to get into the games. She was certain the Careers had managed to get closest to the Cornucopia, retrieved the most weapons, and had been using them to secure the prime position around the lake. But she had a feeling that had changed.

For the first time since she'd entered the arena she was curious to see some of her fellow Tributes so she slowly slid closer to the action.

By the time she reached the outskirts of the forest around the Cornucopia there was no one in sight but she had heard the cannon blast signifying that someone had died. It wasn't a surprise since the damage was so profound that she doubted the Careers had any reusable resources left but the ones on their bodies. There was a blackened crater where their stockpile had clearly been.

"Whoever did this was smart. Very smart," Hermione whispered to herself. She was trying to remember who was still alive and strategic enough to plan it out when she heard a breathy sigh from a few feet away. Instead of running away like she should have she took several steps forward, her eyes finally landing on a form mostly hidden by some shrubbery. It was the District Twelve girl, Katniss.

If she were really playing the game she could easily take the other girl out. Sure Katniss was good with a bow but Hermione had magic. Plus there was blood dripping from Katniss's ears and how she didn't even flinch when Hermione stopped less than a foot away showed that she was injured. But instead Hermione stayed in the shadows, deciding that even though she wasn't planning on staying around until the end of the game she could at least affect the outcome. And wouldn't a young woman who had volunteered for the right reason be a better winner than a vicious bloodthirsty Career Tribute?

So Hermione cast a silent Shield Charm over the half hidden girl and crawled up a nearby tree to keep an eye out. And when the nightly display showed in the sky she saw Radar's face and she was so sick of the thing, of the needless and mindless death, that she couldn't really force herself to care.

They were both woken early in the morning on the ninth day in the arena. It took Hermione a moment to realize that the noise that had startled her hadn't been some new threat by the Gamemakers but a laugh from off in the distance. Someone else had found the destruction Katniss had left in her wake and that someone was clearly pleased.

Then Katniss was off, moving in a fumbling way that should have been horribly noisy but somehow wasn't. And against Hermione's better judgment she followed simply because she was curious. What or who was Katniss so intent on finding? Was it her fellow District Twelve Tribute Peeta, who during his interview with Caesar had admitted his long standing crush on her?

But she quickly found that that assumption was wrong when a shrill little girl's voice pierced the air and Katniss's face became a look of pure panic. Hermione immediately pictured the dark haired girl, Rue who was barely even old enough to attend Hogwarts, and her heart leapt into her throat. Even though she'd be putting her life in danger she couldn't let that little girl die if she could help it.

She arrived in the clearing just as Katniss had freed Rue from a trap and she almost sighed in relief until she saw what the other girls could not. "Watch out!" she shouted the instant before the boy across the clearing let his javelin fly.

Katniss's reflexes were sharp and in a series of fluid movements she pushed Rue out of the way and then she nocked an arrow and let it fly. Then she spun on her heels and aimed an arrow at Hermione but she didn't release it.

Hermione held her arms up in the body language move that said 'I'm not a threat. I don't even have a weapon!' But if things did turn sour it wouldn't take much magic to convince Katniss's arrow that it didn't want to bury itself in her skin. And she doubted little Rue would attack, at least not unless Hermione did something violent first.

"Are you both okay?" she finally asked, looking over to see that the javelin the boy had thrown had missed Rue by mere inches.

"Why do you care?" Katniss asked. She didn't lower her weapon but she did let up on the tension just a hare.

"Because I don't think it's fair. None of this is. We shouldn't have been put in this position in the first place, forced to kill each other. And it's especially not fair that the Careers have trained for this and volunteer because they want to and not for a good reason like saving your sister." Hermione was breathless and confused by the time she'd finished her little tirade, a tirade she was sure wouldn't make her any friends in the Capitol. _But I can't help it! These people, at least Katniss who is only here to save her sister and little Rue who's still a child, they don't deserve to die!_

"Then what do you think we should do?" Rue asked, a hopeful expression on her face like she thought someone would be able to figure out a solution that would get them all out alive.

"There are still a few Careers left, right? They seem to have done fairly well with an alliance so maybe we should start our own. I'm not suggesting we seek them out but if they target us we can defend ourselves better if we work together," Hermione suggested though in the back of her mind a very different plan was forming.

When it came to time travel she knew you had to be careful if you made any changes to the past. But, since it was unprecedented there weren't any rules on messing with the future, at least none that Hermione knew. So she had to wonder, what would happen if she tried to take Rue and Katniss back to the past with her? Would they even exist if they hadn't actually been born yet?

Katniss and Rue shared a long look and Hermione could practically hear their argument even though neither one opened their mouths. She was sure Rue was willing to give her a chance while Katniss would be practical and realize there were two options to the scenario Hermione had presented. One: Hermione was being manipulative and only wanted to get close so she could take them out herself. Two: Katniss would deny her request for an alliance because she'd know the inevitable conclusion, i.e. if they ganged up to take out the rest of the Tributes they'd either have to kill each other or separate and die of starvation, exposure, or some form of torture the Gamemakers came up with.

Finally, after a few tense minutes, Rue spoke up. "You did save my life so maybe we can call a truce, okay Katniss?" she turned to the older girl and did the classic move children used to get what they want. Eyes wide, pouty lips, a barely visible tremble in her jaw.

When Katniss sighed it was clear she knew she was being played but she smiled anyways. "We can try it but just know that if you make a move towards me or Rue I will take you out."

"Understood," Hermione bit out. She wasn't about to show any signs of weakness even though she knew there was nothing that could happen that would lead her to harm the two girls in front of her. She might Shield herself from them if they attacked but she wouldn't harm them.

And she certainly wouldn't kill any of the other Tributes, not even the bloodthirsty Careers. Yes they were mean and violent but they'd been raised that way and thought they needed to be. Like if she ever met Draco Malfoy on a battlefield. Sure she hated the git and would protect herself, maybe go on the defensive a little, but she couldn't picture herself taking his life.

"We should move out before they send the hovercraft in to get the boy's body," Katniss finally said. Then she turned to leave the clearing but Hermione didn't miss that the other girl was now clutching a knife.

Hermione sighed and followed the others, hoping that Katniss would think before she used her weapons.

The rest of that day and night was tense and stressful. Katniss was jumpy and suspicious of every move Hermione made. Hermione was rethinking her decision to form an alliance, wondering if she should sneak off and try to send herself home. After all, how could she practice with her makeshift Time Turner if she always had an audience?

Rue was the only bright spot in their day, occasionally bridging the gap between Hermione and Katniss's reticence and forcing them to chat. Her first order of business was to have everyone share the background behind their names. Hermione was used to people thinking her name was odd but with fellow Tributes with names like Glimmer and Thresh she knew strange names must be pretty normal in Panem.

And even when she fought with Katniss over who would get the first watch she didn't feel comfortable enough to practice her spell. Not when every so often she'd look up and find Katniss staring right at her even though she was supposed to be resting up for her own watch.


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's Note: I really hope you're not all disappointed by the ending because this is where I planned to have it going since I first outlined this story. But now I can see where one might feel like this is a cop out so fingers crossed that you don't! Also, if some of you saw where I mentioned a linked Twitter account...well linking fanfiction and Twitter didn't really help anything so after a few weeks I'll be deleting the PanemHermione account.  
**

When they woke up the next morning Rue was the only one who wasn't tired, cranky, and on edge. She was happily chattering away as they prepared a very lackluster meal of fruits and nuts Katniss and Hermione had both deemed safe to eat.

That's when the announcement was made. An announcement that had Katniss's eyes opening wide.

"We can go find Peeta if that's what you want," Rue whispered.

"Maybe we shouldn't. Last time I saw him he didn't seem too worried about my safety. He was actually working with the Careers or..."

"He was just pretending to work with them I'm sure," Rue suggested. "I was close enough to watch you after you dropped the Tracker Jacker nest. Peeta didn't look like he got stung at all and yet he didn't attack you when he saw you."

Katniss looked up and surprise. "I really did talk to him? That wasn't part of the hallucinations?"

Rue shook her head and Hermione couldn't help but picture the blonde haired boy from District Twelve. Hermione had noticed him during the training because, not only was he cute and strong, but he'd actually been nice. And if he hadn't been lying during his Tribute interview then he was very much in love with the dark haired archer.

Hermione sighed. If she was going to risk changing the world by saving Rue and Katniss then didn't Peeta deserve her help too? "We can at least find him, you're good at tracking, right Katniss? If he's still with the Careers we will leave him be for now but if he's alone we can see if he wants to join our group."

Katniss stared at her, suspicion evident on her features. "Why would you want to help me find Peeta? He's strong and I have good aim. What makes you think we won't take you out if we get a chance? Especially if we can both go home."

"You wouldn't hurt Rue and neither would Peeta. You both have too much honor for that. I can fend for myself. Plus you know the Gamemakers are lying."

Katniss and Rue shared a look of surprise. "What do you mean?" Rue quietly asked.

"Seventy four years of the Hunger Games and they never let more than one person win. They're not about to start now. Not when this is supposed to be a punishment," Hermione explained. She was a little surprised that they were expressing any disbelief. She'd only been in Panem for a couple months and she knew better than to trust the Gamemakers.

"Then why would the Gamemakers make that announcement?" Rue toyed with her lip as she tried to come up with an answer herself.

"There's not enough action going on," Katniss offered.

Hermione nodded. "Not only that but they want to add a romantic element by seeing if you return Peeta's feelings because if you do that might be enough of a push for you to end our alliance, violently or not. Then I bet they plan on getting rid of everyone else and then they'll take back the two winner rule and see what happens."

Katniss's jaw tightened and Hermione knew she'd gotten through to the other girl. "That would make everyone in the Capitol go crazy. So what do we do if we don't want to fall right into their trap?"

"First we need to find Peeta and see whose side he's really on. Then we can figure out a plan."

It took them (but mainly Katniss) over a day to find Peeta but they finally did. And it was immediately clear exactly whose side he'd be on and it certainly wasn't the Careers since Cato had dealt him a debilitating, and in the terms of the Games a possibly life threatening, blow.

"What happened to you?" Rue asked as Katniss and Hermione pulled the boy out from where he'd artistically buried himself in the muck next to the river, using the natural elements to camouflage himself.

Peeta winced but was surprisingly happy, unable to keep his smiling gaze off Katniss's face. "Oh you know Cato just slashed me with a sword and I decided it was a good idea to treat the wound with mud and algae and rocks."

Katniss blanched. "If you're injured under all this mess then we definitely need to get you cleaned up. How does a bath in the river sound?" She was clearly trying to keep her tone light but Hermione could hear her voice shaking.

Hours later Rue and Hermione watched as a parachute, a gift from a sponsor, fell from the sky. "You think it's for Peeta?" Rue whispered just as Katniss rushed out of the cave behind them.

Even working together it had taken the three girls most of the afternoon to clean the grime from Peeta's body and when all his wounds were exposed they almost wished they hadn't. He was burnt, scratched, stung, and the stab wound in his thigh was so deep that his muscles were showing and Rue had been forced to turn away or risk losing the little food she had in her stomach.

They'd tried to fix him up as best they could with things Katniss had picked up from her Healer mother and Rue's knowledge of medicinal plants. Hermione had felt useless since her knowledge of potions ingredients didn't help when she was countries and decades away from the plants she was used to. And healing charms were never to be used without wands since they were deemed to be too dangerous to be cast without first channeling and directing the magic through a wand.

"Is it medicine?" Hermione hopefully whispered when Katniss rushed back by them.

"No it's soup which is good because I couldn't get him to eat anything else. He said chewing was too difficult."

So while Katniss fed Peeta the broth Rue and Hermione munched on what was left of the dried meat from their packs.

Minutes later Katniss poked her head out of the cave. "He's asleep and it's getting chillier so you should join us in here. There's enough space for us all. And tomorrow we can hunt, get fresh water and hope that we can find something else to help heal Peeta's leg."

They slid into the tent and Katniss curled up next to Peeta in a protective manner so Rue moved to lay down next to her, leaving Hermione to take position next to the opening. It was a tight squeeze but the arrangement seemed safe enough. Peeta and Rue were especially protected while Hermione was in a prime position to use a Shield Charm. And since everyone was so worn out Katniss didn't insist someone stay up to guard the cave, which wasn't necessary anyways, and so they all got a decent night's sleep.

But then they were woken up the next morning by a scream.

The early morning light was bright enough for Hermione to see the look of panic on Katniss's face. Peeta didn't even flinch from where he lay on the cold cave floor.

"Is he dead?" Rue whispered.

Katniss trembled but shook her head. "No, not yet. But his breathing is faint and his leg...I looked at it and he's got blood poisoning. I can't fix that!"

Hermione bit her lip. She had to do something even if it was stupid and dangerous and might not even work. "I have an idea but we have to get out of the cave." She slipped out without looking back but turned around to help drag Peeta out when she heard them follow her.

By the time they were all out of the cave Peeta had regained consciousness. "What are we doing? Having a party?" he wheezed.

"Hermione thinks she can help you but I'm not sure how," Katniss told him. "What do we need to do, make a poultice or something?"

"No, we just need to prop him up between us. And then Rue will need to get on my other side and hold on tight."

The desperateness of the situation had to be the only reason they followed her directions without a word but Hermione wasn't about to complain as she pulled her cell phone out of her pocket.

With a deep breath she pushed the button for the countdown app and started reciting her incantation while grasping Rue and Peeta in what had to be a painful hold. She knew Peeta would be holding Katniss just as hard if not harder so she wasn't worried she'd lose anyone.

When she reached the most important phrase of her spell, thinking of Hogsmeade all the while (she couldn't exactly magic them directly into the Hogwarts grounds after all) she twisted her shoulders and gasped in relief when she felt the pressure of Apparation hit her. Then everything went dark.

* * *

It took Hermione a few moments to process what she was seeing once her vision returned. She slowly lifted her head from where her cheek had been resting on a pile of books and parchment on the desk in front of her. "I'm at Hogwarts again," she breathed.

She heard a snort behind her and she spun around only to watch as Harry and Ron slunk up beside her. "Of course you're at Hogwarts. Where else would you be?" Ron teased.

Hermione's mouth opened and closed a few times before she was able to make any words come out. "But I wasn't. For weeks I was somewhere else and then..." she looked around, trying to figure out where Katniss, Peeta, and Rue had wound up.

"I think maybe you've been reading too much fiction," Harry said as he leaned down and pulled a book out from under her Potions essay.

Hermione gasped when she looked down and read the title. "The Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins. It was a book she'd finished days earlier but hadn't removed from her bag. "It was just a dream," she sighed as she slumped in her chair. "But it felt so real."

And even though Harry and Ron teased her for getting so into her book she couldn't help but smile because, to her at least, that was one of the best parts of reading fiction (though non-fiction was enjoyable too). The fact that one could get so immersed in the telling that the characters felt like they could just leap off the page.


	9. Alternate Ending Part 1

**Author's Note: Bet you all didn't expect this did you? When I first outlined my idea for this story I wanted to stick with the "it was all a dream about a book" ending. And from the very few reviews I've received so far I know you had mixed feelings about that. So I wanted to take the advantage of the wonders of fanfiction by doing an alternate ending! So here is the first part of what I think will be a three part alternate ending. The first half of this chapter will be the same as the previously published chapter eight, but after the break it's all new content!**

* * *

When they woke up the next morning Rue was the only one who wasn't tired, cranky, and on edge. She was happily chattering away as they prepared a very lackluster meal of fruits and nuts Katniss and Hermione had both deemed safe to eat.

That's when the announcement was made. An announcement that had Katniss's eyes opening wide.

"We can go find Peeta if that's what you want," Rue whispered.

"Maybe we shouldn't. Last time I saw him he didn't seem too worried about my safety. He was actually working with the Careers or..."

"He was just pretending to work with them I'm sure," Rue suggested. "I was close enough to watch you after you dropped the Tracker Jacker nest. Peeta didn't look like he got stung at all and yet he didn't attack you when he saw you."

Katniss looked up and surprise. "I really did talk to him? That wasn't part of the hallucinations?"

Rue shook her head and Hermione couldn't help but picture the blonde haired boy from District Twelve. Hermione had noticed him during the training because, not only was he cute and strong, but he'd actually been nice. And if he hadn't been lying during his Tribute interview then he was very much in love with the dark haired archer.

Hermione sighed. If she was going to risk changing the world by saving Rue and Katniss then didn't Peeta deserve her help too? "We can at least find him, you're good at tracking, right Katniss? If he's still with the Careers we will leave him be for now but if he's alone we can see if he wants to join our group."

Katniss stared at her, suspicion evident on her features. "Why would you want to help me find Peeta? He's strong and I have good aim. What makes you think we won't take you out if we get a chance? Especially if we can both go home."

"You wouldn't hurt Rue and neither would Peeta. You both have too much honor for that. I can fend for myself. Plus you know the Gamemakers are lying."

Katniss and Rue shared a look of surprise. "What do you mean?" Rue quietly asked.

"Seventy four years of the Hunger Games and they never let more than one person win. They're not about to start now. Not when this is supposed to be a punishment," Hermione explained. She was a little surprised that they were expressing any disbelief. She'd only been in Panem for a couple months and she knew better than to trust the Gamemakers.

"Then why would the Gamemakers make that announcement?" Rue toyed with her lip as she tried to come up with an answer herself.

"There's not enough action going on," Katniss offered.

Hermione nodded. "Not only that but they want to add a romantic element by seeing if you return Peeta's feelings because if you do that might be enough of a push for you to end our alliance, violently or not. Then I bet they plan on getting rid of everyone else and then they'll take back the two winner rule and see what happens."

Katniss's jaw tightened and Hermione knew she'd gotten through to the other girl. "That would make everyone in the Capitol go crazy. So what do we do if we don't want to fall right into their trap?"

"First we need to find Peeta and see whose side he's really on. Then we can figure out a plan."

It took them (but mainly Katniss) over a day to find Peeta but they finally did. And it was immediately clear exactly whose side he'd be on and it certainly wasn't the Careers since Cato had dealt him a debilitating, and in the terms of the Games a possibly life threatening, blow.

"What happened to you?" Rue asked as Katniss and Hermione pulled the boy out from where he'd artistically buried himself in the muck next to the river, using the natural elements to camouflage himself.

Peeta winced but was surprisingly happy, unable to keep his smiling gaze off Katniss's face. "Oh you know Cato just slashed me with a sword and I decided it was a good idea to treat the wound with mud and algae and rocks."

Katniss blanched. "If you're injured under all this mess then we definitely need to get you cleaned up. How does a bath in the river sound?" She was clearly trying to keep her tone light but Hermione could hear her voice shaking.

Hours later Rue and Hermione watched as a parachute, a gift from a sponsor, fell from the sky. "You think it's for Peeta?" Rue whispered just as Katniss rushed out of the cave behind them.

Even working together it had taken the three girls most of the afternoon to clean the grime from Peeta's body and when all his wounds were exposed they almost wished they hadn't. He was burnt, scratched, stung, and the stab wound in his thigh was so deep that his muscles were showing and Rue had been forced to turn away or risk losing the little food she had in her stomach.

They'd tried to fix him up as best they could with things Katniss had picked up from her Healer mother and Rue's knowledge of medicinal plants. Hermione had felt useless since her knowledge of potions ingredients didn't help when she was countries and decades away from the plants she was used to. And healing charms were never to be used without wands since they were deemed to be too dangerous to be cast without first channeling and directing the magic through a wand.

"Is it medicine?" Hermione hopefully whispered when Katniss rushed back by them.

"No it's soup which is good because I couldn't get him to eat anything else. He said chewing was too difficult."

So while Katniss fed Peeta the broth Rue and Hermione munched on what was left of the dried meat from their packs.

Minutes later Katniss poked her head out of the cave. "He's asleep and it's getting chillier so you should join us in here. There's enough space for us all. And tomorrow we can hunt, get fresh water and hope that we can find something else to help heal Peeta's leg."

They slid into the tent and Katniss curled up next to Peeta in a protective manner so Rue moved to lay down next to her, leaving Hermione to take position next to the opening. It was a tight squeeze but the arrangement seemed safe enough. Peeta and Rue were especially protected while Hermione was in a prime position to use a Shield Charm. And since everyone was so worn out Katniss didn't insist someone stay up to guard the cave, which wasn't necessary anyways, and so they all got a decent night's sleep.

But then they were woken up the next morning by a scream.

The early morning light was bright enough for Hermione to see the look of panic on Katniss's face. Peeta didn't even flinch from where he lay on the cold cave floor.

"Is he dead?" Rue whispered.

Katniss trembled but shook her head. "No, not yet. But his breathing is faint and his leg...I looked at it and he's got blood poisoning. I can't fix that!"

Hermione bit her lip. She had to do something even if it was stupid and dangerous and might not even work. "I have an idea but we have to get out of the cave." She slipped out without looking back but turned around to help drag Peeta out when she heard them follow her.

By the time they were all out of the cave Peeta had regained consciousness. "What are we doing? Having a party?" he wheezed.

"Hermione thinks she can help you but I'm not sure how," Katniss told him. "What do we need to do, make a poultice or something?"

"No, we just need to prop him up between us. And then Rue will need to get on my other side and hold on tight."

The desperateness of the situation had to be the only reason they followed her directions without a word but Hermione wasn't about to complain as she pulled her cell phone out of her pocket.

With a deep breath she pushed the button for the countdown app and started reciting her incantation while grasping Rue and Peeta in what had to be a painful hold. She knew Peeta would be holding Katniss just as hard if not harder so she wasn't worried she'd lose anyone.

When she reached the most important phrase of her spell, thinking of Hogsmeade all the while (she couldn't exactly magic them directly into the Hogwarts grounds after all) she twisted her shoulders and gasped in relief when she felt the pressure of Apparation hit her. Then everything went dark.

* * *

Hermione's eyes fluttered open and she gasped in shock at what she was seeing. She was in the library at Hogwarts but not the library as she had ever seen it before. Shelves had been knocked over and books were scattered all over the floor. One of the walls had caved in, loose stones littering the floor. It was all so much that she had half forgotten she had company until someone groaned and she spun around.

Peeta was flat on his back, clearly in pain while Rue and Katniss protectively stood over him, Katniss with her bow strung and ready to let fly. Rue looked stunned but stood straight and tall. "Where are we Hermione?" she whispered.

"My school, I think," Hermione whispered back. Knowing that they needed help (Peeta's blood was staining what was left of the library carpet and Hermione still didn't have a wand) she turned to the door only to see someone watching them.

"Oh Merlin! Luna!" the bushy bookworm cried out in delight. But before she could even take a step forward Luna had backed away, placed a Shield Charm between them, and shot off a Patronus.

"Stay back until McGonagall is here!" Luna shouted as she took the defensive stance Harry had shown them during a DA meeting what felt like centuries ago.

Hermione slowly slipped back to stand next to Katniss, Peeta, and Rue. Her mind raced as she tried to figure out where exactly in time she had landed because clearly it wasn't when she was aiming for. But it was close enough that Luna hadn't aged much and still recognized her though she was clearly very suspicious.

Her musings were quickly interrupted by the arrival of her favorite teacher. But when McGonagall stalked into the room she didn't really look surprised or happy to see her.

Professor McGonagall stopped a few feet away from Hermione, her wand poised and ready. "The first time you got in trouble at Hogwarts, when was it?"

"First Year when I took the blame for the troll incident with Harry and Ron. But Professor –"

"And when we spoke of career opportunities what did you express interest in?" McGonagall demanded.

Hermione suddenly realized what was happening. Her reappearance was suspicious and Luna and McGonagall had to prove it wasn't a trap before they could or would help her. "I was torn between wanting to advocate for equal rights with the Ministry and learning to be a Healer."

Minerva McGonagall dropped her wand with a happy cry of relief and Luna, who had continued to hover in the doorway, cautiously stepped towards the group. "Does he need help? He looks like he needs help," she said as pointed towards Peeta.

"Send for Pomfrey," McGonagall commanded. "I'll do what I can to help in the meantime."

Hermione stepped up next to Katniss. "This woman is one of my teachers, you can trust her to help Peeta."

Katniss nodded and slowly lowered her bow but she didn't move too far away from the prone young man.

As McGonagall knelt down to inspect Peeta's leg Hermione couldn't help but ask questions. "What's going on Professor? What happened to the library?"

"You've been gone for over a year Hermione. And the second wizarding war has begun in earnest."


	10. Alternate Ending Part 2

**Author's Note: This is it! The last half of the alternate ending! I hope you've enjoyed sticking around with me throughout this experiment and that you like at least one, if not both, of the endings I imagined! And if you did like this, and if you've read all my other current work, just know that I'll be posting some new things (Harry Potter related for now) in a couple of weeks.**

* * *

_A year?_ _And the war that had just been recognized by the Ministry months before I left has advanced that much? _Hermione tried to wrap her mind around the prospect. _I didn't go back far enough! Should I try again? But what about Peeta, he can't survive more trips like that, I know it._

Hermione was knocked out of her reverie when Rue gently tapped her on the arm. "Hermione, are you okay?

"I don't know Rue, I don't know," Hermione admitted just as Madame Pomfrey burst through the door, shrieking when she saw Hermione. But before the nurse could get too distracted Professor McGonagall directed her towards the injured.

Hermione quickly pulled Katniss and Rue off to the side, explaining to them a bit about the wizarding world and the magic involved. But to her surprise they weren't really all that concerned, they were just glad they were safe (for the time being) and that Peeta would get the care he needed.

"What all did I miss?" Hermione finally asked as she turned back to her professor, quickly deciding that more time travel was not the answer.

Professor McGonagall stepped back, giving Pomfrey free reign over the area and she busied herself with her wand and a few potions from her apron. Rue and Katniss looked on in fascination and apprehension but didn't interrupt.

"You disappeared in your Sixth Year and we honestly suspected foul play from one of the Slytherins perhaps working under the influence of Voldemort. But it couldn't be proven. Harry and Ron and the rest of your friends were distraught of course. And Dumbledore became even more secretive, he had started meeting with Harry by the time you disappeared, correct?"

Hermione nodded, remembering the notes Harry had started to receive during their Sixth Year. She knew he'd been spending evenings with Dumbledore discussing Voldemort's history but she had traveled to Panem before she could find out why.

"It turns out that Voldemort learned a very dark magic whilst he was in school, a way to create Horcruxes, vessels where he could store bits of his soul so that he couldn't really be killed until each Horcrux had been destroyed."

"So that's what Harry and Dumbledore were working on, finding the Horcruxes," Hermione realized.

"Yes. And all but two of them have been discovered. Ron, Harry, and Ginny are working on finding one right now. They didn't return to school this year, your Seventh Year, so they could find what was left but they are in the castle now." McGonagall hesitated, finally reaching out to gently force Hermione to look at her. "And you should know. We've already had some casualties and more is sure to come. The enemy is at the gates. Literally, they are gathering outside as we speak."

"Who has already died?" Hermione asked as her heart pounded.

"Sirius, Moody, and Dumbledore."

Hermione gasped in shock. Three of the strongest men she knew all gone in, what felt like to her, the span of a second. "Dear Merlin," she whispered.

Suddenly Katniss appeared beside her. "Who is this Voldemort?" she asked.

Professor McGonagall gave both her and Rue an abbreviated version of the story of the wizarding wars. Hermione was thankful for the reprieve, the few seconds to mourn before the battle she knew she'd partake in. Then Katniss surprised her again.

"I'll help. Clearly you have magic which I don't understand but not everyone will be prepared to block a bow and arrow, will they?" she asked.

"But why? Why would you help us?" Hermione couldn't help but ask.

Katniss looked off to the side where Madame Pomfrey was slowly helping Peeta to his feet. "Because you saved our lives, that's why. And no one deserves to be ruled over by a tyrant."

Minutes later they were as prepared as they could be. Hermione had been Summoned a wand from the school stores, Katniss's quiver had been enchanted to never run empty, and little Rue had surprised them most of all. When several wands had arrived for Hermione to peruse the dark haired youngster had reached for one and stars had erupted from the tip.

Rue was magical and as they walked to the Room of Requirement to join the rest of the army, McGonagall had taken advantage of the fact by teaching the small child a few quick spells which she easily picked up. The Professor wanted the girl to stay away from the battle of course but knew that she had little authority over the time travelers especially when Hermione had told her about the fight to the death they had just escaped from.

Professor McGonagall entered the Room of Requirement first so that she could announce Hermione's return, fearing they would assume her to be an imposter if she did not. Luna waited outside the door with them and told them of how Voldemort had magically amplified his voice and demanded they give Harry Potter to him and how Harry, Ginny, and Ron had even broken into Gringotts to retrieve a Horcrux.

Hermione was both proud of her friends and ashamed that she hadn't been around to help them. Then McGonagall ushered her into the Room and all thought vanished when she was faced with the rest of the Weasley clan who pulled her into tight hugs.

Then Harry, Ron, and Ginny returned and the reunion became even more emotional. No words were spoken as Harry and Ron pulled their best friend into a bone crushing group hug and Ginny, one of the strongest women Hermione had ever known, burst into ugly tears. But it didn't last long because, as McGonagall gently reminded them, they were running out of time.

* * *

Hermione, Ron, and Ginny stood gaping at Harry as he rushed up to Dumbledore's office. "He's going to look at Snape's memories now? In the middle of a battle?" Ron asked in astonishment.

Hermione shrugged, looking around through the devastation to try and catch a glimpse of her friends from Panem. The last time she'd seen them Rue had been protecting Katniss with a Shield Charm and Katniss had taken out a Death Eater who had been trying to aim some nasty spell at the corridor outside of the Room of Requirement as Peeta knocked Fred out of the way of a few falling stones. That had been after Harry, Ron, and Hermione had managed to destroy the second to last Horcrux in a fire that had claimed the life of one of Draco Malfoy's henchmen.

"Harry has to do what he feels is right," Hermione finally replied. "After all, if the prophecy is right then he's the only hope we really have."

So she really wasn't all that surprised when Harry went missing not long after and then they heard an announcement that he'd surrendered to Voldemort (though she had a distinct feeling that there was more to the story than what Voldemort was telling them with his magically amplified voice).

As they gathered in the courtyard she was finally reunited with her friends from Panem and they shared a look that told them they knew the moment of truth had arrived. They stood tall as Voldemort and the rest of the Death Eaters faced off across from them. Then the speech began.

"Your hero has been defeated!" Voldemort crowed as he pointed to where Harry's body was indeed laying limp in Hagrid's outstretched arms. "I have learned magics beyond all imaginings and if you will not surrender I will not only raze this land but all others with all manner of disasters with the help of my friend!" He indicated a tall white haired wizard off to his left, a wizard who looked strikingly familiar to Hermione and her comrades.

"He looks like President Snow!" Peeta whispered.

Hermione's mind raced and she started to wonder. Panem, the Hunger Games, is it possible that was a future where Voldemort had won?

But before she could do anything, react more, Neville pulled the sword of Gryffindor out of the Sorting Hat and used it to cut off Nagini's head and Katniss let an arrow fly right into the throat of the Snow look-alike. That, combined with the sudden disappearance of Harry's body, sent both armies into chaos. Chaos, which quickly led to the light side overcoming the dark when Harry revealed himself to be very much alive.

* * *

Once the battle was over and Harry had explained what had happened in the forest, the memories that had sent him there in the first place, McGonagall called a meeting to discuss the last major issue they had (at least until the Death Eater trials and Hogwarts renovations that were sure to follow). That issue was, of course, what to do with the trio of visitors from Panem.

"And you say they're from the future?" Lupin asked as he leaned against the wall of the classroom they'd decided to meet in. Tonks had already left to go visit her parents and make sure Teddy was alright.

"A future that I'm not sure even exists anymore," Hermione admitted as she thought back to the man who looked like President Snow. After Voldemort had been vanquished and the Death Eaters had either ran or surrendered Katniss had insisted on making sure the man had really died.

Professor McGonagall bit her lip and turned to the portrait of Dumbledore on the wall. "I'm not certain what to do Albus."

"You are not responsible for them Minerva," the painted man said gently. "If they are willing to take the risk then have them use Ms. Granger's spell to try and get them home. From what you tell me, Rue has magical talent so she may very well be able to guide the spell much like Ms. Granger did on the way here. And Ms. Granger, there will be something you'll have to do as well once they're gone."

Hermione nodded and the wizarding citizens all spun to face Katniss, Peeta, and Rue who were whispering amongst themselves. Then Katniss stepped forward. "We understand there will be risks if we attempt to travel to our own time but we want to try. We all have family we want to return to and if there's any chance they'll still be there we need to go."

So Hermione showed them how to use her smart phone time travel device and told Rue the words that would be necessary to get them back to their time and then with a few well wishes they were off.

"I really hope that works," Hermione whispered as her friends from Panem disappeared.

* * *

With a flash of bright light Katniss, Rue, and Peeta suddenly landed on the hard ground in the middle of a meadow. They slowly stood up and looked around in surprise at the scene before them. The meadow was resplendent with flowers and laughing children.

"Are we even in Panem?" Rue whispered, her eyes wide.

Katniss was just about to admit that she wasn't sure when a very familiar blonde girl ran up and threw her arms around her waist. "Katniss, where have you been? Mom is waiting for you!" she cried before rushing off to a series of tents on the far side of the meadow.

"Was that Prim?" Peeta said in amazement.

"It was! That means we did it!" Katniss breathed in relief.

"That's not all you did." Katniss, Peeta, and Rue spun around and saw another young woman that looked familiar in a very odd way. "You don't really know me but you did know my great great grandmother. Her maiden name was Hermione Granger."

The trio gasped and looked at each other in surprise while the red haired girl laughed at their expressions. "We have a lot to talk about but let's just start with a few of the most important things. Hermione's guess, and yours Katniss, was right. The Snow family never existed as you knew it because of what you did during the final battle at Hogwarts. America is still America. And, that's not all." She nodded off to the side.

Katniss couldn't contain her smile when she saw her family, every single one of them, even her father. They were talking to a family with dark skin and hair and with a jolt she realized they must be Rue's brothers and sisters. How that happened she would never get a complete answer but she chose not to worry about it.

"Granny Hermione passed it down from child to child, wanting someone to be here when and if you finally arrived. I'm the only one that noticed though."

"Noticed what?" Rue asked.

The red haired girl shrugged. "There was like a shimmer in the air when your consciences merged." When the others looked at her in confusion she continued. "Your families think you've been here the whole time because in a way you were. But after some time, and with the help of a few spells I know, you'll remember both of your realities."

After a few more quick words with Hermione's great great granddaughter, a few words of caution and updates on their lives and plans for more discussions about it, Katniss clasped hands with Peeta and Rue and they rushed off to the new world they had helped create.


End file.
